Monsenhuset (the Monsen house)

One of Tananger's first houses, Monsenhuset is from 1732, it was extended in both 1800 and 1850, and has an exciting history. Lodesman Gabriel Monsen ran an inn in the building with 32 rooms. The house is today Rogaland's largest listed wooden house which is of a non-religious nature. The seafarers sought refuge in Monsenhuset  The oldest part of the Monsen House in Tananger was probably built in 1732 and was one of the first houses in Tananger. The house was built by Peder Høyer. The house has been extended twice; first to the east and later to the west. There has been a post office in the house for many years and also used as a courtroom. A country store, an inn and a shelter for seafarers on the attic. The attic was a room for maritime pilots who had to spend the night in Tananger. It could be maritime pilots from all over the district who had piloted boats here, or they were stranded here due to bad weather. Here they could spend the night until it was possible to get back home again. The house is named after lodesman Gabriel Monsen who ran the inn of the house. The house became heritage-listed in 1923 as "frøknene Monsens" house. During the war, the Germans lived in parts of the house. The girls of Flatholmen, a memorial of Ester and Bertine who committed a heroic deed on a stormy day in 1894, stands in Tananger harbour not too far from Monsenhuset. Today, the house is privately owned, it is not possible to visit the house inside.